Ready to Run
by xXBeckyFoo
Summary: The five times Jackie terrified and unnerved Hyde by stealing his heart. And the one time another girl did.
1. 1968

**AN:** Hello, my lovely readers! It has been SO long since I've written any fanfiction. Seeing as of late I have been rewatching That 70's Show (and still hardcore shipping Hyde and Jackie) I thought I'd jump back in with this fandom.

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 **Chapter One**

It was 1968 when Steven Hyde first met Jackie Burkhart.

All throughout the town there was talk about the Burkharts. A new family moving to Point Place was like announcing the Queen of England was knighting people on Mount Hump, inviting the town's residents to come and watch. The adult men muttered about Jack Burkhart, a prestigious lawyer, business man, and impending member of the town council; women gossiped about Pam Burkhart, an attractive, young thing who was a realtor for the stars; and the children prepared themselves for their only daughter's transfer from a New York private school to their dingy public educational system.

Unfortunately for Hyde, he was sucked into the excitement of the new transfer by Kelso. It was as if the idiot had never seen a girl in his life before. Well, with that headgear of his, Hyde knew every girl steered clear from him (so, really, he couldn't blame him). Still, Kelso making them patrol the halls for any sign of the new girl annoyed Hyde to no end.

"She's just a girl, Kelso," a ten year-old Donna sighed, leaning against the locker.

"Yeah, but she might be really pretty," said Kelso in return, too busy scanning the passing students to even glance at Donna, "and maybe I can convince her to hang out with us. We need a girl in the group."

Hyde laughed and Eric stepped away from the danger zone. Donna approached Kelso, aiming a strong punch on his back that made him turn around. "I'm a girl and I'm in the group, dillhole!"

Kelso was cringing from the hit. "I meant a real girl!"

Donna was about to strike again when murmurs of the new girl invaded the hall. In that moment, as she walked among the same boring people in her clean, expensive clothes, her wide, mismatched eyes shining, Hyde understood the commotion. He was a victim of it. Jackie Burkhart was pretty, _really pretty_ , and it made his heart skip a beat. Hyde was sure he lost his breath. Like cold water dripping down his back, Hyde understood danger. The universe started flashing warning signs all around him. It was by divine chance that Jackie opened her mouth to show her bratty personality that saved Hyde. He eagerly strut off with the gang after Donna had chucked a ball at the new girl.

The rest of the day Hyde tried to keep his mind off of Jackie Burkhart, but everyone else around him was buzzing with her name. Everyone was so intrigued by the glittering new thing and her porcelain skin and mean attitude. That did not seem to throw anyone off, not yet at least. They would give her a few days before the novelty wore off before some grew annoyed by her high class attitude. Hyde awaited for that day, then he could forget all about her and her sharp eyes playing over and over again in the back of his mind.

As it was a usual for Hyde, Friday strolled around and he found himself in detention. He was busted for stealing a cigarette from his teacher's desk. Of course, Hyde claimed to be innocent until proven guilty (even though his clothes smelled like smoke and his shoes had evidence of ash on them). But crying wolf no longer worked for him, it hadn't since Kindergarden. The adults knew Hyde's tricks well enough to just hand him a pink slip and send him off to detention after his last class. As a regular in the classroom for troubled kids, Hyde sat at the back desk, right beside the window. He enjoyed the scenery before dozing off for an hour. This time around, however, there was a short brunette invading his view of the window. Jackie was standing underneath a tree, clutching her books, and all alone. For an hour Hyde watched the winter wind blow her curls in different directions.

When it was time to leave, Hyde did something stupid. His brain was not thinking straight (clearly because he had skipped his afternoon nap) when it ordered his feet to that tree at the end of the school's courtyard. Jackie was now sitting, unconsciously rolling snow into a ball with her shaking fist. If Hyde had acted like himself, he would have kicked the mixture of snow and dirt at her, chuckling evilly and satisfied before heading home, but the thought never occurred to him. Instead, he cleared his throat, nudging her foot with his boot. On the days that Edna was hopped up on love (and other things) Hyde always heard the same sappy songs playing on their radio; they usually annoyed him, making him seek refuge in classic rock and roll, but the second that Jackie's eyes pierced his blue ones, he could hear those stupid love melodies playing in his head.

He wanted to run for it, run from _her_. He wanted to put miles between them—why the hell were his knees shaking, man? Why couldn't he form a coherent thought? She was like the painkillers he stole from Edna's cocktail of prescriptions; she made him hazy, she made him forget about everything else in the world with just one look.

He expected those eyes to narrow at him in disgust, but instead they were warm despite all the snow around them. "Do you know what time it is?" she asked him in a quieter voice he had heard from her all week.

Hyde opened his mouth, but closed it right away. Shamefully so, it took him a few seconds to remember how to form words. "Don't have a watch, man," he said as neutral as possible. "Are you waiting on someone?"

She sighed, nodding once. "My dad was supposed to get me after school today. We were going to go to dinner and a movie. They're having a rerun of Mary Poppins, and he knows much I like rich British people."

As Jackie fisted the snow in her palm more roughly, Hyde thought back to the year he beat Forman up for singing tunes from that pansy movie. Again, he should have made fun of her, but he refrained from doing so.

"Does he do that a lot? Leave you waiting?" he asked.

She nodded again. "He's busy and important," she said immediately when her eyes began to tear, "more than anyone else's dad, you know. I understand that he runs late."

In the future, Hyde would later realize that he bonded with someone for the first time in his life. It was not like his friendship with Forman was not real from the beginning, but there was always a wall that separated the two in terms of understanding what disappointment was. Forman had doting parents (no matter how much of a hardass Red was). Not once had he ever experienced the shame of explaining a parent's absence, the anger of knowing you are not the top priority, or the sadness of once again being forgotten. In that exact fragment of time, underneath that tree with a nine year-old Jackie, did Hyde know of someone who knew exactly how he felt without having to explain the complications of his life.

"Need company?" Hyde had asked the question, but was already sitting himself beside Jackie before she could even respond.

The glimmer in her eyes was as if she had never experienced kindness before. And she probably never had, Hyde had guessed. Yeah, she was rich; she got everything with a snap of her fingers, but that was by default. He wondered if once in her short life did someone extend a hand of honest friendship the way Forman had done to him.

"Don't you have better things to do?" Jackie asked. "I know you hang around with that headgear kid, the skinny boy and his lumberjack girlfriend."

Hyde smirked at her accurate descriptions of his friends (and at the burn) as he chucked his books near a puddle. "It'll be fine."

"Why?"

"Because," he murmured with a clearing of his throat, trying not to stumble on his words when her amazed gaze was on him, never leaving, "I know what it's like to wait for your dad."

It was close to six in the evening when someone came to pick Jackie up at school. A sleek black car pulled up at the sidewalk before them, interrupting their making of the world's crappiest snowman. Jackie was not thrilled to see the car as Hyde had assumed she would be. If Bud had ever shown up when he said he would (despite how late he had been), he would have been thrilled despite the frustration that came with wasting hours hoping the next car turning into the street was his. But Jackie knew more about her own family than Hyde did, of course. When the driver's door opened it was not Mister Burkhart, it was their chauffeur. Wilson moved straight to the back passenger side, opening the door for the young girl.

"Do you want a ride, Steven?"

Hyde dropped his books in the puddle as he had been picking them up. He knew her name because of the parade Point Place practically threw to welcome the Burkhart family to town, but he had not even assumed she knew who he was (other than someone who hung out with headgear, skinny, and lumberjack). Once recovering from that moment of uneasiness, Hyde thought about her shiny car pulling up to his rundown, dirty house. No matter their three hours of laughter and conversation, Jackie was still Hyde's opposite. She was a spoiled princess and he was destined to be the town's dirtbag. And Hyde had accepted his impending future as such long before she moved to Wisconsin.

"Nah, I'll walk, man," he told her.

"Oh," she had frowned at him, "okay, then. I'll just see you later."

Maybe Jackie had believed that she would see Hyde Monday morning and they could ease into what they had just shared under the tree, but he knew better. Although he wanted to believe it himself, there was just no meshing for the two. So when she pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek, sending his heart into overdrive, and his face burning pink, Hyde walked off, determined to forget all about her.

And proven right by Lady Fate, Monday morning came and Kelso, now headgear free, had a mission to woo Jackie off her tiny feet.


	2. 1976

**Chapter Two**

Steven Hyde was nothing short of aloof. Growing up the way he had required him to learn how to take every emotion capable of making him vulnerable and cramming them inside an indestructible case of metal. With an absentee father (who showed up on rare occasions only to pass out on the front yard and disappear again, taking with him whatever was valuable enough to sell) and a mother who was negligent, addicted to alcohol and drugs, while living various romances with random men, Hyde had to burst the smoke cloud he was caught in. His life would never be what it was for Forman (or for any of his friends). Life was hard and complicated, and the only way for Hyde to survive was to remove his beating heart from his chest so nothing would make him crumble. And he was damn proud of such resistance, nothing could shake him—until Jackie Burkhart decided she was in love with him, that is.

Daydreaming about Jackie's wide, mismatched eyes, beautiful and brilliant under any light, was something Hyde had stashed inside the prison he had built. At first it was only because they were on the opposite ends of the spectrum, then it became about how stupid he felt when he longed to see her smile. It was that kind of sappy bullshit that made one weak, and Hyde was not—could not be weak. Like with everything else in his life, he attached her name with things he hated. It was easy, really; she had fallen prey to Kelso's (surprisingly) good looks and became a member of every pompous clique as the years progressed. It was honestly a miracle for Hyde that Jackie was dumbed down by her daddy and the cheerleading squad. He never had to endure her presence other than in the halls (if they were passing each other) or when she would walk over after school to talk to Kelso (which she didn't do much because of the gang).

Then came the year when Hyde was a Freshman in high school and Jackie was caught in her last year in middle school (both grades in different buildings on opposite ends of the town). His detachment to most things (and pride) would later make him say that it was the most peaceful year of his life, but, really, he caught himself several times waiting for Kelso to bring up her name. On the outside he would curse and roll his shaded blue eyes, but a part of him that had not be vanquished breathed easily knowing she still existed. Of course, Hyde would later drink, smoke a joint with the guys, and forget all about her. It was the way he attempted to kill her from his head. He succeeded most of the time; rock and roll and drugs led to sex with hot, loose girls that wanted nothing more than to make him put all his desire in them.

Before Hyde knew it, Sophomore year arrived and with it came the wave of new underclassmen. Jackie immediately found her place among the mainstream crowd, sporting her new cheerleading outfit, and looking down at those her clique called freaks. She was new meat in the building, clearly beautiful with her luscious, curly hair and sparkling eyes, that guys from every year wanted on her. It made him ball his hands into fists every time he saw some jock or dweeb slobbering after her, but he had to remind himself he didn't want her. Kelso, on the other hand, pulled Jackie off the market by claiming her as his girlfriend. Kelso was attractive to most girls (for some damn reason), but he did not have much else going on for him in the lists of expectations rich, popular girls like Jackie had. Nonetheless, she turned a cheek on his low IQ and loser friends.

Hyde ragged on Kelso since the day they met (occasionally kicking his ass and setting him up for hysterical accidents), but he did not wish him bad. Despite all of his terrible qualities, Hyde was a solid friend. He was loyal (and that's all the good anyone could get out of him). When Kelso officially started dating Jackie, Hyde pushed himself even further behind the line that led him to her. He set up an act to hate her, and eventually, after pretending long enough, Hyde did. He could not stand being in the same room as her, hearing her shrill, demanding voice and poor taste in music, or seeing her swap spit with Kelso. No, Hyde no longer found her appealing. He set his eyes on someone else. Of course, trying to win Donna over was having to step on Forman, so, naturally, Hyde did so for a few months before he accepted that the saucy redhead only wanted her skinny neighbor boy. That was fine, too; the older he got, the deeper the pool of chicks he could sleep with became. It was the single life for him.

Fate was tricky and a downright bitch, of course. It did not matter that Hyde had found a road he liked, that worked for him, that kept him from feeling, the world decided it was time for an earthquake. The ground under his feet shook, throwing him off until he was crawling to the nearest, stable path he could find. His earthquake came when Kelso decided cheating on Jackie was a golden idea. It started with Pam Macy: The idiot made out with Pam in front of an audience, and that audience ran to tell Jackie exactly what her boyfriend had been doing. Being the fiery person that she was, Jackie did not let Kelso see her break; the planned trip to her parents cabin was still on and they would all be going without him. The entire car ride there Hyde found himself constantly glancing back at her; that gaze of hers was stormy, robbed of its color and light, and her features were blank like the snow they traveled past. A part of him that would never let her go wanted to reach a hand over, take her shaking fingers and clutch to show her that she was not alone, that she had him—but Hyde would not be weak. Even when later that evening she wrapped her arms around him, crying into his chest, filling his nostrils with her vanilla scent, he did not lose himself.

Assuming most people would feel remorse for being blatantly caught cheating, Kelso continued to play darts with Jackie's heart as the bullseye. He asked Pam Macy to the prom over his girlfriend. How does Fate reward Hyde for Kelso's stupid mistake? It leads with Hyde fixing his tux in front of a broken T.V. he used as a makeshift mirror. He was angry, how could he not be when he was tangled into attending such a ridiculous affair (especially since the year before he had launched eggs at the couples before entering the school), but when he saw Jackie on his front doorstep he forgot how uncomfortable he was in that itchy suit. The silver moonlight fell on her like a spotlight and Hyde did not want to look away. He can't remember how they got to prom because his memory only lands on the slow dance he shared with her. Time stopped in that moment; all Hyde could feel was the banging of his heart against his bones, rioting in attempts to be let out of its prison cell, his hands on her small waist, holding her close to him, closer than he ever dreamt of being with her, and that sweet scent of hers that has never left him. He bit down on his lips for so long to keep him from telling her that she was radiant, that she was worth so much more than how Kelso made her feel. But she was in love with him, so when Kelso wanted her back, Hyde had to tear his hands from Jackie's body and put them on Pam Macy so it could erase everything the brunette had made him feel.

He told Donna once that a true friend never ratted out another friend; Hyde meant it of course, he lived by that rule, but when Kelso began to cheat on Jackie, this time with Point Place's very own whore Laurie Forman, he had enough. He would deny it to himself and anyone that asked him, but Hyde was setting up Kelso time and time again. He justified his actions by saying it was for his own entertainment, but the reason was, and always will be, Jackie. Regardless of her domineering attitude, she worshiped Kelso. It was pathetic to see her give him everything she was, oblivious that her boyfriend was dusted by the fingerprints of someone she learned to like (as much as Jackie could like Laurie). When Kelso was finally caught in his lies, everyone thought Jackie would never return to the basement. Hyde had wished it so.

Of course, nothing works out for Steven Hyde. Ever. When he thought he would finally be freed of her and the turmoil she caused inside of him, Jackie set her eyes on Hyde. At first it was her being lonely, needing someone to spend time with so she would forget about her broken heart and shattered illusions. Hyde had taken special care to show her he hated her for the past couple of years, yet it all seemed to have been in vain.

The first time was his fault. When she followed him like a lost puppy, he was coaxed by her beautiful eyes into spending the day with her. He refrained from being a complete asshole, but when she assumed it would be a daily thing now, like she owned him, Hyde had to remind her just how much he despised her. At the first sight of her tears he thought the world stopped. He had been hard with her for so long, but she had tough skin, nothing broke her – Hyde didn't break her. He panicked at the thought that he now was, but then she threw herself at him, pressing her lips to his. It lasted less than a second, but he was sure it took him two lives to decide to push her off. Hormones and secret desires wanted to devour her, but, above all, Hyde could not forget whose ex-girlfriend she was. Kelso did not deserve her at all (something Hyde told her, too), but he could not ignore the mess Kelso also was because of their breakup.

The second time was her fault. Jackie's interest in Hyde had begun with noting how they were both lonely and in need of a companion, but it then turned to want. She wanted him and she was unabashed for saying it. The gang bought Hyde's dislike for her, unaware of what demons with Jackie's name he carried in the dark corners of his mind; they laughed at the possibility of that ever happening, but Jackie was nothing short of determined. She would not stop until Hyde liked her.

Her persistence was maddening – not because she put work in trying to win his heart, but because Hyde had been fighting since he was a child to lock her out of it. With her banging on his walls, armed to the brim in order to conquer, he was often on the brink of surrendering. The only thing that saved him was the years spent in the red shades of his anger to give in that easily. He doubled his hate, wearing it like protective gear, and went to war against her.

Then Chip happened.

Jackie would later claim her plan of making Hyde jealous was a success, but he will forever tell her to get bent. But, yes, he had been. When he saw her walking up to Forman's, her arm linked with that asshole's (and his stupid, suave hair and guitarist rep), Hyde felt victory turn in her favor. He pretended long enough that he was not waving a flag of surrender, until Chip crossed a line that gave Hyde the perfect excuse to punch his lights out. Jackie came running up to him, wonder in her giant eyes, knowing she had won the war.

They went off in her dad's Lincoln and drove for almost an hour. He settled on buying her a cheeseburger wrapped in tinfoil and she eagerly accepted anything that came from him. When they parked on a hill that overlooked the town, a silence fell on them. It was comfortable – the most at ease Hyde had ever been with a girl without being high or drunk. His senses were acute; he needed them to be so he could feel her body heat on his side, to see the stars reflect off her mismatched gaze, and the moonlight bathe her skin. He wanted to look at her forever, this enchanting being that had power to turn his world upside down. That's how it always felt, like she was unraveling everything he worked so hard to keep imprisoned; so when she made the point of showing how she understood him, how she saw the real him and loved what was exposed, he knew nothing would ever be the same again.

And it wasn't.

She leaned into him and he followed pursuit. When their mouths met and her soft lips were on his, he could barely remember his own name, let alone what to do. Then, when her hand reached for his face, holding on, he knew it was real. He pushed his desire for her into the kiss, wanting nothing more than for them to become one.

Of course, the spell Jackie was under broke at the stroke of midnight. Terrified at how easily he crumbled at her touch, Hyde gratefully put on his pretenses and carried on in a different direction than hers.


End file.
